This decision represents the final findings of a comprehensive anti-dumping investigation initiated on August 8, 2024, following a complaint lodged by the European Steel Association (EUROFER) on June 24, 2024.
The Regulation orders the definitive collection of provisional duties already imposed, while also announcing the termination of the investigation into imports originating in India.
Here are the final anti-dumping duty rates determined by the Commission, calculated on the basis of the CIF Union frontier price:
India Investigation Terminated; Significant Exemption for Vietnam
Despite objections from EUROFER, the Commission confirmed that no dumping was found for imports of hot-rolled flat steel from India, and therefore terminated the investigation.
Meanwhile, for Vietnam-based exporter Hoa Phat Group (including Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint Stock Company), the dumping margin was established at 0%, exempting the company from current anti-dumping measures.
Findings on Injury and Causality
The Commission concluded that the Union industry has suffered material injury within the meaning of Article 3(5) of the Basic Regulation, and that this injury resulted from dumped imports from the countries concerned.
During the investigation period (April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024):
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Import Volume Increase: Imports from the countries concerned increased their market share by 74% (3.5 percentage points) from 2021 to the investigation period.
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Market Share Loss: The Union industry’s free market share fell by 3.44 points, from 74.29% to 70.85%.
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Price Undercutting and Suppression: Most of the imports undercut Union industry prices by 3.3% to 10.1%. As a result, Union industry profitability declined from 12% in 2021–2022 to a loss-making position in 2023 and the investigation period.
The Commission confirmed that dumped imports contributed to reduced capacity utilization, lower production and sales volumes, and market share losses for the Union industry.
Scope and Retroactive Application of Measures
The Commission decided that the application of anti-dumping measures is in the Union’s interest. Despite potential negative impacts on importers and users, the overall benefits of restoring fair trading conditions were found to outweigh the drawbacks.
However, the Commission determined that the conditions for retroactive collection of duties on the registration period following the initiation of the investigation were not met. While analyses were conducted, the Commission found no significant increase in imports in addition to the levels causing injury during the investigation period. On the contrary, import volumes had declined. Therefore, under Article 10(4)(d) of the Basic Regulation, the conditions for retroactive application were not satisfied.
The definitive duties will enter into force the day after the publication of Regulation 2025/1919 in the Official Journal of the European Union.
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